when he was 10, he won a writing contest that gave him an opportunity to interview first lady laura bush. he's been constantly challenging himself. but at age 11 fabian faced a biggest challenge of all. he was diagnosed with stage iii hodgkin's lymphoma. >> then it's a blur because tests and all kinds of scans and they put me in surgery. >> reporter: his mother watched fabian go from a happy, healthy boy to a very sick child. >> there's no greater nightmare. he was left more ill as a result of the treatments, you know, the rebuilding was such a journey. getting him back, his strength and health back. >> reporter: with treatments, fabian began to lose his appetite. his mother became frustrated looking for new ways to feed her son. the things he used to like no longer tasted any good so she kept experimenting with foods, cooking things he would eat and healthy for him to fight the cancer. >> it's still boils down to the fact that you can do it or you can't do it. we're going to do it. so we got to do it the best way we can. >> reporter: nearly ten years since the diagnosis. after a year of